


After You've Gone

by alibrandi



Category: Daredevil (TV), Luke Cage (TV)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-02
Updated: 2017-02-26
Packaged: 2018-08-19 00:53:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8182649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alibrandi/pseuds/alibrandi
Summary: Claire in the aftermath of Luke Cage 1x13. What does she do now that it's all over? She didn't want to bring Matt back into her life, but she needed help. Fast.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So I just finished Luke Cage and couldn't see anything on ao3 yet so I decided to write a tiny ficlet. This is my first fic so the writing isn't great but I just needed something to keep me going until the real writers had time to get some lovely Claire fic on here.

He was gone. Not for long, she truly believed. They'd figure it out. Somehow.

Even though all she wanted to do was have a hot bath and cry a little and drink a bit, she knew she still had things she needed to do before she could start reflecting on the shitstorm that had just gone down. She had to pull it together. She wouldn't break down in this hallway. She was stronger than this.

She fished that goddamn burner out of her coat pocket. She didn't leave home without it, even though he hadn't called since she walked away from the hospital. She promised she'd be there when he really needed her. Now all she hoped was that he'd be there for her.

She turned and walked slowly back into the room with all the cops. She knew Misty was just as churned up about everything as she was. She could use Misty's connections just as much as Misty could probably use a friend right now. Claire wasn't sure if Misty had anybody. But right now, Claire could use all the people who understood what was going on by her side. Female friends are harder to come by these days, without all the other women at the hospital.

Misty looked hazy. Rattled. As Claire walked in the room, Misty looked up at her, confused. She started to open her mouth but Claire interrupted her, "I don't know about you, but I really don't feel like being alone right now."

Misty stared at Claire. An intrigued look on her face, studying Claire's features. Claire continued, "Look, I gotta call this lawyer for Luke. But after... let me know if you need anything. Company, a drink, you name it. " Misty gave her a small smile, "I would kill for a drink right now but I still got some time on my shift here." Claire nodded wearily, "Well, give me your number and I'll call you," passing her other phone over. Misty typed it in quickly and passed it back. As Claire turned to leave, Misty grabbed her wrist, "Look, I just wanted to apologise again for what happened in the interrogation room. It wasn't me."

Claire looked down at the hand attached tightly to her wrist and gave it a soft squeeze with her other hand, tracing her thumb over Misty's hand, "You had the pressure of Harlem on your shoulders. I get it. I wasn't the nicest in there either."

Misty's eyes softened at her response. Claire reiterated her earlier statement, "I'll call you," and walked out of the room, dialling the only number on the burner phone as she went.

Putting the phone to her ear, she walked briskly in the direction of her Mom's diner, mindful of the lateness in the evening. The phone rang rhythmically, showing no signs of stopping. Claire was beginning to feel the frustration bubble out of her, "I swear to god if you don't pick up this phone the one time I need you.."

Just as she was about to hang up, she heard the voice she hadn't heard in a long time, "Claire?"

"Matt," She responded tiredly.

"Are you ok?"

She almost began with an apology for calling so late, but Claire wasn't the 'apology for no reason' type, "I will be. But first, I need your help." The response on the other line was a lot of rustling, thumps and movement as if he'd just jumped and objects had gone flying.

"Where are you? I'm coming. How many of them?" He responded, talking so fast she could barely hear him.

"Matt. Slow Down," she tried to sound together even though she was really close to breaking from pure exhaustion. "I'm fine. I'm not in any danger. I need help from your day job, not your night one."

"Oh?" Matt said with a small hint of confusion.

"Look, we probably can't do anything tonight. But if you aren't busy tomorrow morning I need some help getting someone out of prison. I'm not sure how much of the news you've been watching lately, but it will probably be a high profile case. Might help you get some other clients."

"Claire, you don't need to convince me. I'll always help you out." Claire let out a sigh of relief. She knew that he would help, there wasn't really a doubt. Yet, she still worried about how they'd left things. "Things have been a bit weird here, I haven't really been keeping up with the news. But I could come over now and you could fill me in," he pushed on.

Claire hesitated. She couldn't really deal with Matt's martyr complex right now. She really needed some time to collect herself. "You need more self-care in your life, Claire," as Luisa used to remind her.

"How about we wait until morning. I really need a bit of sleep before proper brain function returns. I know you guys probably have a case, but bring Foggy. He'll at least have some background on what's been going on - tell him the client is Luke Cage."

Matt didn't really have the heart to tell her that Foggy hadn't spoken to him in a long time, nor that Nelson & Murdock wasn't really a thing anymore (or maybe he just couldn't say it out loud). His days mostly consisted of scouring police departments for paying clients. He had the time. "Sure, Claire. Whatever you need. Shall I come to yours?"

"Actually, I'm in Harlem at the moment. I'll text you the address of a Diner where we can meet. Is nine ok?"

"I'll be there."

"I really appreciate it, Matt. Thanks for picking up."

"Are you sure you're ok? You sound a bit funny," Matt pressed.

"I just got home. See you tomorrow?" Claire avoided the probing question. She wasn't really sure how she was, nevermind being able to articulate it.

"Take care," He whispered.

"I'll try."

Claire ended the call and she climbed the stairway to her Mom's place. Her Mom had clearly been waiting for her, opening the door as soon as she arrived. She must have looked like shit since her Mom's sympathetic face said it all. Her Mom took her coat and bag and pulled down the zippers on her ankle boots while she leant against the wall. Her Mom didn't scold her for leaning on the wall so she must have seen the news about Luke. Once her shoes were off, she staggered tiredly into the living room.

A bottle of tequila was on the table.

She turned to face her Mom. The exhaustion from the day finally showing, "Mami." Her mom stepped forward, pulling Claire's face into her neck and softly stroked her hair.

"Bath or Tequila?"

"Ambos."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire talks to Matt about Luke's situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to all those who reviewed the last chapter and encouraged me to keep writing. 
> 
> And of course come say hi on tumblr - clairesighs.tumblr.com

Claire had decided not to invite Matt to her Mom's diner. She needed space and air. She wanted to go somewhere that was not Hell's Kitchen or Harlem. Somewhere that didn't have her mother. Claire wasn't quite ready for her Mom to meet another one of her 'special' friends. To be quite honest, Claire wasn't ready for Matt to meet her mom. She had initiated a break between them for a reason. She wasn't going to become involved in his bullshit again, and that meant severing any intimacy between them. This was a business meeting.

 A park. Green, with fresh air and kids running around, carefree and so innocent. The air felt intoxicating, Claire hadn't noticed it for a while. She'd been so busy looking after goddamn heroes, and all of a sudden it felt so present and overwhelming. Claire had brought a picnic blanket and some leftovers from her mother's fridge. It felt wrong to be having a picnic when everything was so fucked up. Luke was in prison, Mariah was free and she had no idea what shit Matt had probably gotten himself into while she'd been gone. Yet, here she was, sitting on a picnic blanket with a beer in her hand.

 She saw Matt walking towards her. He had seen her before she saw him. She corrected herself - smelt. But whatever, it was the same thing with Matt. He saw so much. Too much, she concluded. He had his stick in his hand, and those glasses on that she despised so much. It shielded him from the world, from the people he longed to protect, from her. Glasses masking the vulnerability that poured out of his eyes.

 As he approached her, he sat down on the mat without saying a word, mindful to keep his feet on the grass. She knelt over and untied his laces. She'd missed him, she realised as her steady hands worked on his shoes. He pulled his shoes off and sat cross-legged in front of her with a small grin on his face, his mismatched brightly colour socks wiggling under his knees in anticipation.

 Hey," Claire released softly.

 Matt wordlessly grabbed her left hand and squeezed it gently. So much for 'business meeting', Claire thought. Perhaps her mother would have been a better buffer than she'd thought. "So what's the deal with you and Foggy? Please tell me you did not do something utterly stupid and push him away," Claire got straight to the point.

 "Um. Well, it was sort of mutual," Matt scratched his head awkwardly.

 Claire saw through him, like always, "Mutual my ass. Let me guess, he was pissed off that you didn't let him in and decided he was better off working with people who were more dependable."

 Matt pulled away from her slightly, "When you put it like that I sound like..."

 "A dick," Claire finished for him.

 Matt was silent.

 "What happened to your whole avocados at law thing. You guys worked so well together. You are best friends. Surely you can patch things up," Claire back-tracked. This was not how she meant to start off this meeting. But, then again, when had she ever been able to keep her mouth shut.

 "I guess. But he seems so much lighter now."

 "So you have been in contact? That's a start," Claire offered with a smile.

 "Ah, not exactly," Matt went back to head scratching.

 "You've been spying on him haven't you," Claire gave him a glare. Matt looked guilty. A very recognisable look on him. The catholic guilt thing seemed to rise in him frequently. "Matt, you can't just spy on people without their permission. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should," Claire said.

 "I know," Matt said sincerely, "so what did you call me here for? Not that I'm not happy to see you, I am. I always love seeing you..." a bit too truthful, he realised, "but you seemed concerned on the phone," he finished.

 Claire took a big swig of beer, "Ok so this is a really long story and I'm not sure where to start or how much you really need to know," Claire stole a glance towards the children playing, thinking how to best start.

 "So I met this woman a while back,” Claire trailed off not sure how to really launch into it.

 “Ok,” Matt said. He really was quite confused but wanted to give her the space to talk.

 “She had abilities, like you. But not really like you cause she actually had like extra stuff. She’s super strong – like really freaky shit. Lifting cars and the full hero she-bang. She also can jump really high. But it kinda looks like she’s flying,” Claire rushed out.

 Matt just nodded thoughtfully.

 “She came into the hospital, with this big dude,” Claire started, “Luke” she clarified with a hand gesture as if Matt was meant to understand the gravity that his name now brought in her mind.

 “He was badly injured. GSW to the head. But it didn’t pierce the skin. All the nurses tried to prick his skin with a needle but the needles kept breaking.”

 Matt interrupted before Claire said the obvious, “He has unbreakable skin, doesn’t he?”

 “I know! What the fuck?” Claire was finally able to reflect on the absurdity that was her life right now.

 “Anyway, I did what I always do. Take strangers back to my apartment and find some way to fix them even though I’m not a fucking surgeon. I extracted spinal fluid from behind his eye sockets since that was the only way to relieve the pressure,” Claire said before adding with another hand gesture, “and of course I saved his life and then I turn around and he’s gone.”

 Matt tried his best to suppress a laugh, and it came out as a sputter.

 “Shut it, I’m not fucking done.” Claire launched forwards, “Anyway I don’t see either of them again and then all that shit goes down with you at the hospital and I quit.”

 Matt looked quizzically at her as if it was the first time he’d heard it.

 All Claire could think was how dense he must be, to not understand how his actions had repercussions for those around him.

 “So I came to visit my Mom in Harlem. Thought I could do with some quiet reflection. Of course Luke just happened to get involved with bringing down all the bad guys in Harlem. I ran into him at my Mom’s diner, got talking and before you know it I’m patching up random dudes and driving to Georgia, where Luke was imprisoned a while back. Luke and I had to go track down the guy who gave him the bulletproof skin. This guy was experimenting on people while they were in prison. Anyway, we had to find him because he got shot at by this guy who turned out to be his half-brother with these special bullets that actually exploded inside him or something,” Claire paused and looked up at Matt to check he was following.

 He was, and was holding tightly to a Dictaphone in his hand, dutifully recording every word.

 “Anyway he saved all these people and defeated his fucking crazy brother but this other evil lady walked free because we couldn’t get enough evidence on her that she killed the evil drug lord who happened to be her cousin,” Claire paused again.

 “Sorry I know this sounds ridiculous,” Claire sighed.

 “There isn’t much that surprises me these days. But this seems like a very family-oriented affair,” Matt said.

 “Tell me about it! How many bloody siblings can people have!”

 “And just when I thought the whole thing was over, some Marshalls turned up and arrested Luke for escaping prison. They arrested him after he escaped because people were experimenting on him and making him fight to the death!” Claire said angrily.

 “Wow,” Matt rubbed his face.

 “Oh did I mention that Luke’s real name is Carl Lucas and he didn’t commit the original crime?” Claire said flippantly.

 “Claire, what have you gotten yourself into?” Matt chided.

 Claire just looked at him, “Are you really judging me. You?”

 They both looked at each other for a second, before bursting into laughter.

 Claire noted how good it felt not to have her stomach twisted in knots, even for a second.

 Claire looked at Matt softly, “Can you help?”

 “For you, always.”

 “Oh god, please don’t say that.”


	3. Chapter 3

Shortly after Luke was taken back to Georgia, Misty and Claire had begun a weekly dinner. Claire, facing unemployment and her move to the other side of the city, felt so isolated from her old life. Part of her knew she was seeking these people out because she needed more. More than work and family. Matt, Luke, Jessica and even Misty, all possessed the similar qualities, not just their superhero stuff, but self-inflicted wounds. They all operated alone. It was so easy for Claire to mould into their lives, that sometimes Claire felt she was taking advantage of them for her own gain. If she wasn't repeatedly risking her life for them, she might have realised it sooner.

So Claire's weekly dinner with Misty became biweekly. Before she knew it, she and Misty had become so codependent. Misty would swing by the bodega after work, grab wine and head straight to Claire's. It was a small place - all Claire could afford through her new job at the small women's clinic in Harlem. Claire would cook because Misty was shit and they'd eat and chat about each other's days. Sometimes they wouldn't even talk, just enjoy the company of another when they'd both spent so much of their lives living in solitary. Being around Misty was Claire's favourite part of the day, and Claire was pretty sure it was Misty's too. It wasn't until Matt was over for one of his late night legal talks about Luke, that Misty and Claire realised there was going to be an issue. 

“So I know it has taken far longer that we’d hoped, but I’m pretty sure the judge is going to release him at his next hearing,” Matt said triumphantly. He smiled at Claire, looking like a puppy who’d rolled over for the first time.

Instead of the signs of relief that Matt expected to come from Claire, she just paused, staring off into space, the air around him feeling thick. 

Misty jumped in, “Huh? I thought this was going to take months. That the court system was slow and we weren’t to get our hopes up that much would happen within six months.”

“Well, it has taken months,” Matt replied slowly, unsure of this uncharted territory, and the weird reactions of the two women. 

“Wait, when is the next court date again?”Misty clarified.

“Next Thursday.”

Misty looked taken aback by that, flopping backwards in her chair, “Oh.”

Matt turned between Claire and Misty, both reacting like he’d just delivered news that someone was going to die. He was confused. He thought Claire had been almost desperate about getting Luke out. He was almost certain that Claire and Luke had something going on. It didn’t please him. He had always hoped that some day they’d both be ready for a real relationship together. But he could tell that day in the park that Claire no longer addressed him with that piercing energy that made him want them so badly. 

Now she was just blank. This was new. Claire was never blank. She was the most expressive woman he’d ever met. Her arms, hands, heartbeat, voice, every little thing that made up Claire was always in subtle motion. But she felt so quiet to him now. 

“Did I do something wrong? Did I somehow misunderstand things? Did he hurt either of you?”

Both women paused and made eye contact at the last question. Claire sighed, rubbing her hands over her eyes, “No, you did everything I asked. And I am grateful, Matt.”

“We’re very grateful,” Misty added.

“But, we’re just going to need some time to adjust back into Luke’s world, “ Claire said quietly.

That statement didn’t seem to satisfy Matt, his head cocked to the side, trying to figure out what was happening, “Why are you afraid Misty?”

Claire looked at Misty, concerned.

“I thought we told you to stop fucking doing that. Listening to people’s hearts is not ok,” Misty said pointedly.

“I just want to make sure that you are all ok. You guys are reacting really strange. I thought this was all you’d been working towards, for months.”

“And we appreciate it, Matt. But I think maybe you should go now. We’re really tired. Misty’s had a long shift and I’m still feeling sick. Can we talk tomorrow?” Claire said softly.

Matt, still confused, stood up, gathering his coat off the back of Claire’s dining room chair, “Ok. Get some rest. Try some of that soup I brought, it’s one of Foggy’s old recipes.”

Foggy’s name still brought a twitch of sadness in Matt’s face, but Claire knew better than to address it. Matt was as messed up as ever, but Claire had decided it wasn’t her job to fix everything. Sometimes it was time for a grown man to act like one. Although the pain of watching him continually fuck up his relationship with Foggy wore her down sometimes. 

“Thank you. For everything. I don’t know where we’d be without you,” Claire said sincerely.

“Claire. Come on. None of us would be alive without you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's short (and written quickly) but I didn't want to abandon this! Enjoy


End file.
